Use the greeting, sign-off and paragraph plan below for this formal letter, write it on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model letter.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You were involved in a minor car accident and need to make an insurance claim.
Write a letter to the insurance company. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
A letter that begins Dear Sir or Madam ends Yours faithfully, followed by your full name.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 150 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to make a claim under my car insurance policy, number MX-443298, following a minor accident on 9 February.
At about 5.15 pm, I was driving along Bridge Street at around twenty miles an hour when the car in front of me braked suddenly. I stopped in time, but the vehicle behind me failed to do so and hit the back of my car. Nobody was injured. The other driver, Mr Collins, admitted responsibility at the scene, and we exchanged insurance details. The police were not called, but I have taken photographs.
My car, a blue Ford Focus, has a dented boot, a cracked rear bumper and a broken left rear light. I took it to Eastside Garage, which has estimated the cost of the repair at 1,150 pounds, and I have enclosed their written estimate.
I would like to claim for this repair cost, as well as for a hire car while my own is in the garage, which I expect to take about a week.
Please let me know if you need any further information.
Yours faithfully,
Stefan Müller
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The reason for this was | introduce a cause |
| As a result of | show a consequence |
| I hope this explains the situation. | polite way to finish an explanation |
| Please let me know if you require any further clarification. | offer to explain more |
| I would like to clarify that | make something clear |
Answer random Part 1, 2 and 3 questions on an exam timer.
Average your four skill bands, rounded the way IELTS rounds them.
Compare an IELTS band with TOEFL, Duolingo and PTE scores and CEFR levels.
Look up the IELTS score a university asks for, with the source.